My wife, Jenny, and I are products of public schools that opened doors for us: from science labs and libraries to stages and sporting fields. Today, as parents of a 7th grader in Palo Alto public school, I want that same rich, multi-faceted experience for her and every student in our district.  I was born to Canadian parents in Minnesota and come from a family of educators, judges, journalists and warriors (both grandfathers served with distinction in WWII in the RAF, one lied about his age to sign up.) who taught me the value of civic responsibility, learning, integrity, asking difficult questions, and taking action.

​

PAUSD sits at the center of Silicon Valley, adjacent to a wealth of industrial, cultural, academic, and scientific resources. We have great families and great teachers. There is no reason we cannot deliver the world's best TK-12 experience with good governance and strong elected leadership.

​

I've always been the parent responsible for our daughter's education and a volunteer at my daughter's schools from pre-school through current (fingerprinting and extra car insurance!) while also maintaining a full time executive job. Most recently serving as VP of Communications of the Green PTA until I resigned when I registered to run for the school board as I believe any candidate should.

​

I spoke up when needed, helped organize families, and got more involved supporting victims of administrative overreach and sexual harassment poorly treated by the district. I challenged the opaque superintendent separation agreements totaling more than $1 million and successfully advocated to preserve teaching assistants and drama education, support sexual harassment survivors, and provide advanced courses. I have seen how much our students accomplish and how much more they could if parents, students, teachers and administrators collaborate more effectively. We need to improve the culture in Palo Alto schools, and I’m ready to do the hard work to make that happen. My qualifications:

​

• Extensive board and management experience: Managed and exercised board oversight on teams of thousands from diverse cultures/countries and budgets comparable to and substantially larger than PAUSDs (~$400 million forecasted 2026-’27). Engineer with an MBA committed to data-driven decision-making.
   

• Proven leadership through growth and change: Executive experience across industrial, hard and soft tech, comsumer, media, non-profit (PrideVision), consulting (McKinsey), board governance, and labor union negotiations globally.
   

• Committed, independent PAUSD parent & volunteer:  I am running an independent grassroots campaign with no strong ties to larger political organizations like the unions, parties or other special interests. 

​

My only interest is in ensuring that our schools are safe, welcoming, well run and apolitical. Schools whose primary goal is serving as the community wants them to at the best possible standard.

​

I offer independent judgment, a strong sense of civic responsibility, results-oriented executive discipline, a Palo Alto parent’s perspective, and a willingness to speak up and solve difficult problems. With strong democratic oversight we can build and maintain schools that deliver for every student and earn our community’s confidence. Your vote is a sacred trust, and I would be honored to uphold it.

 

Sincerely,